Some good stuff and a dog…
Did you know that Noodler’s Ink has a new website? So many colors!
I have used their inks for close to fifteen years starting with Black then moving on to Legal Lapis Blue from Pendemonium. Eventually, someone on Fountain Pen Network talked me into buying Apache Sunset and I was hooked for life.
After perusing the new website, making a list of my favorite Noodler’s inks struck me as a fun exercise especially comparing my choices from a few years ago to what is on my list today. It was a challenge to pare down to twenty but I did. Classified as they are on the Noodler’s site:
Blue
Black
Brown
Green
Orange
Pink
Purple
Red
Which Noodler’s inks would be on your list?
Time for a big thank you to Carol at Luxury Brands who has kept me well supplied during the last few years. My list would have been much shorter if not for her generosity.
Babies are always cute but some have a brightness and charm that is engaging beyond the usual. Nash is one of them. The pen links aren’t bad either.
Just a few for you…
‘Tis the season…
Dip pens caught my fancy recently and J. Herbin’s 1798 inks have been just the thing to add some sparkle to my efforts. The current colors in the series are Cornaline, Amethyste, and Kyanite and they look beautiful alone as well as together. As a longtime fan of Herbin as well as anything silver, I was very happy to see this group of inks introduced.
My Fellowship dip nib has a fountain pen feed that holds a significant load of ink, enough to fill a page, and with a quick swish of water, it’s ready for another color of ink. The pen produced lively passages by switching between the turquoise, coral, and amethyst colors on a per word or line basis.
Next, I tried a small, synthetic watercolor brush to create softly edged doodles, swatches, and swirls without feathering or bleed-through. Not my usual approach, but it did provide a sufficient test of ink characteristics.
Swirling the bottles before each dip kept the shimmery bits in suspension. If they settle in your fountain pen, a gentle motion will redistribute them. Note that they appeared more well-distributed on the page than particles from some of the other sparkly inks I have tried.
The colors are among my favorites and I would be happy to see them in a non-shimmer version, suitable for mundane tasks and business use. These are not super-saturated but deeply colored and very easy to read. It isn’t even necessary to tilt the paper to see the silver glints.
Kyanite du Népal falls in the turquoise range and with its flecks of silver, brings to mind jewelry or a fountain pen with silver-colored trim.
Orange ink can be shy but not Cornaline d’Egypte.
Améthyste de l’Oural is a deep, mid-range purple. The silver flecks stand out well making it the most dramatic ink of the three.
All three inks performed admirably on Clairefontaine paper demonstrating good flow and lubrication. If you like fat pens, the bottles have wide openings to accommodate the larger ones in your collection.
Herbin 1798 Ink would make a lovely holiday gift for the inkophile on your list.
There are lots of reviews and dozens of images at other sites in case you are not yet convinced to add a bottle to your collection. However, be forewarned. Resistance is futile.
Ed Jelley: J Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Népal Ink Review
Pen Chalet: J Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Népal Ink Review
The Gentleman Stationer: Ink Review: J Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Népal
Doodlewash: REVIEW: Jacques Herbin Kyanite du Népal Ink by Life Imitates Doodles
The Well-Appointed Desk: Eye Candy: Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Nepal by Ana
Chris Saenz: Herbin Kyanite du Nepal – Ink Profile – Viewer’s Choice
Pen Boutique: J Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Népal Ink
Goldspot Pens: Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Népal Fountain Pen Ink Unboxing and Review
Ink courtesy of Exaclair USA.
My favorite season has returned though where I live, you wouldn’t know it was autumn. One way to compensate for that deficiency is to let my ink and pen selection represent the color variety that the local flora does not. Could my current maximum rotation of five pens do the season justice? After extensive perusing of ink swatches, I was not satisfied with any combination and put aside the project for another day.
Then I noticed a book of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings, a gift from family earlier this year. Why not consult a master? Eventually, I settled on his painting, Rocks with Oak Tree, and found a few inks in my collection that approximate the colors.
The two pens already on my desk were filled with Sailor Tokiwa-Matsu and Diamine Violet so adding six more would be too many. Three inks were returned to the shelf, leaving a manageable number.
This group will do nicely for visual variety and writing pleasure.
These inks may not reflect the season so much as Van Gogh’s color choices, but that’s fine since they will provide sufficient variety to meet my current writing needs. As the holidays approach, yu-yake and Violet will be replaced by Diamine Emerald and a bright burgundy to carry me into the new year. At least that is the current plan. I am quite fickle when it comes to ink, so don’t hold me to it. I am after all an inkophile. Aren’t you?
These items are available at Amazon.com. For qualified purchases, Inkophile receives a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Fountain Pen Day is a time for celebration, but also a time to appreciate my collection. Four years on, these pens remain favorites. Perhaps I am not as fickle as I thought. Do you have pens that remain in use despite acquiring new ones? Which are your favorites?
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